16 February 2013

True Strength by Kevin Sorbo, Book review

Publisher: Da Capo Press

ISBN-13: 978-0306820366

Synopsis:

On television, Kevin Sorbo portrayed an invincible
demigod; in his real life, a sudden health crisis left him partially
blind and incapacitated at just thirty-eight years old. Yet since
appearances are everything in Hollywood, he hid the full details about
his condition from the press and continued to film Hercules,
which was the number one TV series in the world. In this inspiring
memoir, Sorbo shares the story of the crisis that ultimately redefined
his measure of success.

My thoughts:

Like any parent I remember with fondness my son anticipating 'Hercules' on the telly. I admit however I took little attention to the name behind the figure, taking at heart however this seemingly greater than life role model was gentle, clean and funny! His countless fans couldn't praise him enough for his kindness and honest dedication to the world of sports and he was a Christian. Good enough for me!

I usually shy away of autobiographies but this title attracted my attention a couple of weeks back on a library shelf as I recognized the face and well, the rest is history. Here I am!

Of course I had to take my turn in reading 'True Strength'! Hercules never lost his appeal in our household!As I read it became evident Kevin Sorbo is just a mere mortal after all! This book describes his journey through countless hardships including his fight against a life threatening illness which puzzled the medical community!

It begins with a aneurysm sending blood clots throughout his body causing eventually several strokes, leaving him partially blind and literally incapacitated. This remarkably fit celebrity recounts his nightmarish battle to regain a modicum of quality life whilst offering hope and encouragement to those families and individuals who are seemingly fighting for their health.

Kevin Sorbo's story reflects his battle to overcome his biggest challenge at a time when everything was going right for him: his career was the epitome of success and he had found his soul mate in Sam, his wife, a Christian like himself. Not being prone to excess and having no hereditary reasons for the illness, Kevin found himself facing the psychological insecurity as well as nemerous physical aspects of his dramatic condition.

Despite his penchant for (juvenile) expletives I made a point to finish Kevin Sorbo' story as I joined the fans who admire the candid account of a vigorous 38 years old faced with a tremendous downturn in his life yet emerging even stronger than before.Placing his faith in God and with the staunch support of his lovely wife Sam he has yet to regain the full extent of his original health and faces more surgical procedures in the future. But he has learned to overcome his doubts, handles the pain and counts his many blessings, leading his family and millions of fans to believe he truly is Hercules!

A remarkable story worth reading, a magnificent lesson in courage and a reminder that with Him, there is always hope!

Kevin Sorbo was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 100% Norwegian and
proud of his Viking heritage!Best known for his 7 year series,
"Hercules, the Legendary Journey's" from 1993-2000. Hercules became the
most watched TV show in the world. 2000-2005 he was Captain Dylan Hunt
on "Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda" which was America's number one first
run syndicated show for its entire run. Actor, director, and producer
for over 30 years, and now a writer!2011 recipient of The Movie Guide
Awards "Most Inspirational Performance of the Year for his performance
in the faith based movie "What If".Sorbo has also starred in over 40
movies including "Kull, the Conqueror", Walking Tall: the Payback",
"Soul Surfer", "The Santa Suit", "Poolboy: Drowning out the Fury", "The
Christmas Angel", "Abel's Field", "God's Not Dead", "Julia X", and
"Single in South Beach".

Note to readers: This review was not requested by either author or publisher and reflects only my opinion!

4 comments:

I find so many good reads by reading the reviews of others. I had no idea about this! What a wonderful book and I do love reading true stories as well as lots of other types of books! Thank you for your review!

Same here! 'Mystica' is a nice source as well as 'Mrs. Miniver's daughter'! I do not care to check out media's sources such as NY best sellers for i.e. but rather go for a novel someone else (a kindred spirit perhaps) has enjoyed. This titile was unusual for me as I lean towards historical novels (based on true facts) or historical fiction.I remember well my son's face lighting up when Mr. Sorbo's show was on! I am not sorry I read it!Thanks for stopping by and blessings to you and yours,

....It's always a suprise when you find out that a 'star' has severe health problems.Sometimes it's how they deal with adversitity that makes them a Star.Kevin Sorbo seems like a good man...Hercules was always popular in my house, too.God BlessBarb

With no broadcast telly I find myself relying on the Net for news (BBC) and I cannot recall hearing anything about his challenges. From all accounts Kevin Sorbo is gentle, honest, dedicate and courageous. A good role model for our children and I am not sorry I read his memoirs. Blessings to you as well Barbara,